Report 2009-108 Recommendation 10 Responses

Report 2009-108: California Department of Veterans Affairs: Although It Has Begun to Increase Its Outreach Efforts and to Coordinate With Other Entities, It Needs to Improve Its Strategic Planning Process, and Its CalVet Home Loan Program Is Not Designed to Address the Housing Needs of Some Veterans (Release Date: October 2009)

Recommendation #10 To: Veterans Affairs, Department of

To better coordinate efforts to increase the number of veterans applying for C&P benefits, Veterans Services should formally communicate its goals to the CVSOs and work with them to reach some common goals related to serving veterans.

1-Year Agency Response

The department distributed copies of its Strategic Plan to the CVSO community at a training conference in October 2009 and told us that it specifically discussed its goal of increasing veterans’ participation in C&P benefits during a presentation to the CVSOs at this training conference. In January 2010 the department conducted a survey of the CVSOs in the State to determine what the most important needs of veterans are and how services to veterans can be enhanced. The department stated that 87 percent of the CVSOs that responded agreed that Veterans Services’ goal of increasing veterans’ participation in C&P benefits is appropriate. In its one-year response, the department stated that this finding is contrary to the finding reported in the bureau’s audit report. However, the department is mistaken as we did not ask the CVSOs we interviewed whether they believed Veterans Services’ goal of increasing veterans’ participation in C&P benefits is appropriate. Additionally, the department entered into a formal agreement with the California Association of County Veterans Service Officers (association) in December 2009. The agreement is for an indefinite period of time and summarizes agreements reached by the association and the department to establish a process by which both parties may seek input into the development of their respective strategic plans. In the agreement, both parties recognized that neither has direct control over the goals and objectives set by individual counties, but agreed to consider each other’s input in the development of goals and objectives set by individual counties, and agreed to foster common goals in order to provide a more consolidated effort to meet the needs of California’s veterans. The department’s executive staff met with the association’s strategic planning committee four times between October 2009 and October 2010 to discuss veterans’ needs and progress on accomplishing specific objectives, among other things, and the department told us that it plans to continue to hold these meetings three times per year. Finally, the department stated that representatives from the association participated in the annual update of its strategic plan as it related to Veterans Services’ goals, strategies, objectives, and plans of action. (2011-406, pp. 229-230)

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

All Recommendations in 2009-108

Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.